UFC on FOX 5 fallout: Let’s play UFC matchmaker

The UFC on FOX 5 event is in the books, so it’s time to put on our UFC matchmaker hat to see what’s cooking for the main card fighters. Check it out below:

Ben Henderson: Should fight Anthony Pettis if he’s victorious over Donald Cerrone in his next outing. Some people are mentioning Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. However, Melendez hasn’t looked good at all in his last 2-3 fights, and would need at least one win in the UFC before getting a title shot in my opinion. Also, casual fans have no idea of who he is, whereas Pettis and Henderson have a built-in storyline with their fight in the final WEC event in 2010.

Nate Diaz: Tough call for Nate because he’s already fought a number of fighters in the division. A rematch with Gray Maynard is probably the right call since Maynard is trying to get into title contention again. Who better to beat than the guy that just fought for the title.

Alexander Gustafsson: Personally, I think Gustafsson matches up decently with UFC champion Jon Jones if he can stop the takedowns. I’d like to see him get one more fight in though, and it looks like he could fight Lyoto Machida if Dan Henderson isn’t ready to fight in February. If he doesn’t fight then it would be a long time to sit on the sidelines waiting for the winner of Jon Jones/Chael Sonnen in April.

Shogun Rua: He should move down to the middleweight division. He’s a certified gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division, and should be able to make the 185 weight limit as he’s not a huge light heavyweight and has some ‘extra’ skin around his mid-section. A bout with Cung Le would be an exciting fight, or a bout with Hector Lombard.

Rory MacDonald: Already called out Carlos Condit and I certainly agree with that fight.

BJ Penn: Should retire. The game has passed him by. He gasses in three minutes and I just don’t see it being any different even if he fights at 155.

Matt Brown: Brown is a fighter’s fighter. A bout with Diego Sanchez would be EPIC. Sanchez tweeted that he was going back to the lightweight division in August, but was recently talking about fighting Nick Diaz(who’s a WW) again. If not Sanchez, a rematch with Dong Hyun Kim would be good and a chance to avenge a loss suffered at UFC 88.

Mike Swick: Probably should look at retirement as well. No disrespect to DeMarques Johnson or Matt Brown, but in his heyday Swick probably wins both of those fighters fairly easily. He looks like a shell of his former self and time is certainly not on his side as one of the original TUF cast members.

Be sure to make ProMMAnow (www.prommanow.com) your home for the TUF 16 Finale this week!

About Kelvin Hunt

Kelvin is a father and former collegiate baseball player with a degree in physical education from UNC-Pembroke. He's an avid MMA fan that has been writing about the sport since 2008 through various outlets. His favorite fighter is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira due to the heart he has displayed throughout his legendary MMA career. In his spare time (there is none with three kids), he likes to work out and also likes to follow college football recruiting. You can email him at kelvinhunt@hotmail.com and you can follow him on twitter at @KelvinHuntMMA